Surprise. In Pennsylvania and 43 other states, any law-abiding resident 18 and older can carry a loaded handgun on his hip in plain view to shopping malls, restaurants and on strolls down the street. No permits required, no questions asked. You thought you needed a permit for that? Nope, only if you conceal the gun.
I’ve never seen anyone open carrying in this area. I’ve seen it a few times in other parts of the state, but it’s not common. This surprised me: “He’s never been stopped and questioned by a cop.” I would imagine this means he’s never tried to open carry in Philadelphia, where I’m pretty sure the police would have a lot of questions.
I do not open carry in populated areas, only while hiking, but I support everyone’s right to do it. I am somewhat skeptical of this though:
The group sells a t-shirt that says, “Oops, my civil rights are showing.” Seeing people carrying guns in a nonconfrontational way gets people to recognize the practice as legal and encourages them “to think about the liberty and foundation aspects of our country,” Pierce says.
I think most people either a) don’t notice, or b) assume the person is a police officer. I’m not sure that people open carrying is really going to do much to make the public think about liberty and our country.
I’ve seen it, but it’s certainly not common in PA. Obviously, it has a following, though. I carry concealed, but if I felt like carrying open sometimes, I wouldn’t bother in Philadelphia. I don’t need the hassle and I’m generally on a schedule when I’m there, so again – don’t have time for the crap.
Before I got into the gun issue, I always assumed anyone with a gun on their hip was law enforcement. In fact, even though I should know better today, that’s still my first assumption. It’s never bothered me though.